Mahantango Fossil Hunting in PA

[Dawson Sensenig]

Picture this, it was 378 million years ago, the seafloor was covered with unimaginable creatures ranging from crinoids and brachiopods to the glorious trilobite. These beautiful creatures lived in peace and harmony as they thrived. Then one day, they were buried, quickly, not to see the light of day for hundreds of millions of years later. That was until my friends and I found them and became the first to set eyes on them in a very, very long time. And now I share these images with you, the reader. Now you have joined this elite club of very, very few to see these specific once-living creatures. And that is exactly why I love this field.

 

That said, I took my friends to one of my favorite spots within my favorite Devonian formation, the Mahantango. This site has always yielded beautiful Mucrospirifers with their iconic “wings” still intact. Below are some of the brachiopods that I found, I found a lot more than just these two, but I think these were some of the better ones found that day.

 

 

 

This site also yields the opportunity to find the much elusive (to me) trilobite. I never found a trilobite at this site, but I knew there was one here, and unfortunately, I still haven’t found one. However, my friend Allie found a beautiful, fully intact, folded, Dipluera Dekayi. These trilobites are often fragmented, so the fact that she found a fully completed one, is unbelievable! 

 

 

 

Sadly, a thunderstorm came through and ended our fossil-hunting excursion a little earlier than we would have liked. Maybe I’ll bring my friends back when I go again, maybe they’re the good luck charm! Or maybe I won’t so that any trilobite found will be mine!!! 

 

*PS* Not sure why all my photos are on the side, they are right side up any other time...
 

[Fossildude19]

That last trilobite is actually an Eldredgeops rana.

Nice finds. 

Thanks for posting.

[Dawson Sensenig]

On 4/17/2023 at 2:30 PM, Fossildude19 said:

That last trilobite is actually an Eldredgeops rana.

Nice finds. 

Thanks for posting.

Yes thank you! I feel like I knew that and wrote the wrong one down!

[Thomas1982]

I really love the Mahantango.  I have been to several sites throughout central PA, and each site has a slightly different suite of critters.  Some have enormous mediospirifers and Dipleura mults, and others are full of enrolled Eldredgeops and crinoid stems.  One site even has a species of Dechenella.  

 

Thank you for sharing some of your finds, and I look forward to seeing more!